Helicopter hero

A generous bequest will turn a unique Ferrari into a project that could save lives

Another trip to the RAC, WHERE H&H Auctions held a reception about a wonderful bequest involving a Ferrari. Collector Richard Allen left his beloved car to be sold for the benefit of the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service – and since this unique car could be heading for £500,000 or above it was quite a legacy. The sale will be over when you read this, but I wanted to support the gathering as it was an air ambulance that rescued me after my big accident, and also because I wanted to see
this fabulous car up close. 

If you like, it’s the fourth of the three Nembo Ferraris built: Neri and Bonacini were two Maserati engineers who went on to work with Drogo and Lamborghini before starting a bodyshop where in the 1960s they rebodied three 250GT Ferraris in a distinctive, swooping-hipped shape. By the 1980s the partners had split, but a British collector commissioned Giorgio Neri to rebody a 330 GT in the same style, with shortened wheelbase but using the 330’s 4-litre motor. The project foundered for lack of funds, but in the 1990s Allen, a director of the Ferrari Owners’ Club, took it on and completed it. 

In the flesh it’s deeply impressive, like a better-balanced 275, compact and curvaceous in a deep metallic grey with a simple tan interior. It even looks good with the hood up. Later rebodies sometimes miss the mark, but with the original man in charge, this one looks period-perfect. Hard to gauge a value with its complex story, but Patrick Peal of the EAAA told me the proceeds will build them a hangar for 24-hour readiness. Thank you, Richard Allen.